To Dream a Dream
by FreelyBeYourself
Summary: Gibbs remembers a past Christmas. One-shot.


**Author's note: Merry Christmas! I own nothing. This is my first NCIS story, so feel free to leave a review. Yes, I do realize it's a little out of character and maybe a little corny, but it's Christmastime, so how can I not? Enjoy!**

"Daddy, Daddy, let's go!" the little girl shouted, jumping up and down in her excitement, already out of the car as she waited for her parents to unbuckle their seatbelts. "Daddy, daddy, we're going to miss it!"

"Honey, it's only 10:45," the red-headed woman smiled, getting out of the car and pulling her scarf more tightly around her neck, eyes sparkling as she watched her daughter. She'd only explained to the young girl a dozen times that the adoption clinic didn't begin until 11. "Take my hand, sweetie." The little girl complied, reaching out and grabbing her mother's hand, but she didn't stop jumping.

"But, mommy, we need to get there first!" the five-year-old explained. "They'll all be gone!"

"Babe, I don't think they're going anywhere," the woman laughed, reaching down and pulling her young one up into her arms. The red-head grabbed her husband's hand, and the pair walked side-by-side into the pet store. Even the man, usually the more stoic of the pair, couldn't help but feel excited as he watched his daughter try to break free from her mother's arms.

"Hi there!" A gray-haired woman, slightly overweight and incredibly friendly-looking, smiled at the family as they walked in. She turned away for just a moment to finish setting up the last of her cages, and when she looked up again, the family was standing just off to the side, watching with interest.

"Mommy, mommy, that one!" The girl squealed, pointing at every cat and kitten in turn. The woman laughed.

"Are you guys looking for a kitten?" The kind woman asked, though it was clear what the answer was.

"Yeah," the man said, and the woman had to carry their daughter a few feet away so that the father and the older lady could talk without distraction. "It's going to be our daughter's first Christmas here… we just moved here from LA, and I'm about to be deployed. We just thought it would be nice."

"I understand," the woman said. "Well, we're a kitten rescue organization. All of the cats you'll find here have been spayed or neutered, and are up to date on shots… Do you know what kind of personality you're looking for? You're a little early, and if you want to stick around for a while, there are a few other fosters who are bringing in more kittens. Being Christmas Eve, they'll go fast."

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah," he agreed, "That's what my daughter kept saying." He shook his head. "Well, obviously we'd like to find a cat that won't mind being around a five-year-old."

"Well," the woman said with a smile, indicating the cage closest to her, "All of the cats in this cage here are used to being around my grandkids, and they're only a little older than your daughter, if you'd like to try taking one out and holding it."

"I think I'll let my gorgeous girls pick," the man said, winking at his wife, who knowingly put their daughter on the floor and stepped back as the girl thoughtfully stood next to the cage that the woman had indicated. The couple stood watching, curious to see which of the five kittens their daughter would pick.

"Do you see one you like, sweetie?" the red-head asked. "Don't forget, there are more kitties coming, and you can always look at those, too."

"Ummmm….." the five-year-old contemplated the cage for a long time, and the parents were about to give up and assume that she didn't see one she liked, when suddenly: "THAT ONE!" the girl shouted, pointing to the smallest kitten in the cage, a little tortie whose ears were a bright orange at the tips. The kitten's foster smiled broadly.

"Her name is Rosie," she said, and the little girl's face broke into a huge grin.

"What's she like?" the mother asked.

"She loves to play, but of all the kittens I'm currently fostering, she's the best with kids," the woman said. The parents looked at each other in relief. "She loves to sleep curled up on your bed."

"She'll love that," the father murmured to the mother.

"She sure will," the mother agreed. The parents looked at each other, then looked at their daughter, who was now petting the kitten through the bars of the cage. It wasn't long before the formalities were taken care of, and the family had their new kitten, its food, and a ridiculous number of brand new cat toys loaded into the car. The little girl spent the entire ride bent over in the back seat, laying with her face pressed up against the front of the new cat carrier they'd bought, watching her new little kitten huddle in the back of the cage.

"Daddy, do you think it will like our house?"

"Yes, sweetie, I think she'll love our house," the father smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, we'll find out in a moment, won't we?" he asked, as he pulled the car into the driveway.

"No, baby, let me carry the kitten," the mother said quickly when she noticed her daughter trying to yank the cat carrier out of the car.

Somehow, fittingly, the first thing the kitten did when it got inside was run and hide in the family's Christmas tree.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Special Agent Gibbs woke suddenly, not even attempting to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. He rose from his bed and went to the kitchen, intending to grab a bourbon from the refrigerator. He was surprised to see that it was 8 in the morning – late, for him. He reached for his bourbon, about to open it and take a swig, when the sound of loud laughter outside his window caught his attention. He looked up, curious. Next door, his neighbors were just heading inside, their young daughter following, jumping up and down in what Gibbs recognized to be excitement. He froze in his tracks when he recognized that her mother was carrying a puppy in her arms.

Unbidden, a huge smile sprung to his face. Gibbs put down the bourbon and reached for the telephone.

It rang three times.

"Hello?" came the voice on the other end.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said, "Call me crazy, but I think I may go adopt a kitten."


End file.
